Free Animal Cross Stitch Patterns

How to use these patterns

1. Pick an animalEach card lists the size in stitches and the number of colors. The sheep and the fox are quick; the owl and the hummingbird take longer.
2. Print now or edit firstPrint the chart and key right away, or open the design in the editor to recolor fur, feathers or eyes before you print.
3. Stitch, or make it your ownStitch the animal as drawn, or turn the tabby into your own ginger cat and add its name underneath.

Woodland friends, garden birds and a cat

Animals are a favorite cross stitch subject because a few well-placed stitches give them a face and a personality. These twelve designs are all between 25 and 34 stitches wide and 19 to 35 tall. The Woolly sheep uses only four colors and the Sitting fox five; the Owl on a branch and the Hummingbird are the most detailed with eleven colors each.

Birds are well represented: a red Cardinal with its crest and black mask, a Robin on a twig, a round Owl and a ruby-throated Hummingbird beside a red bloom. For spring there are two bunnies, a Bunny face and a Sitting bunny with a cotton tail. Every one of them is an original StitchJam drawing.

Why the eyes are single stitches

In most of these charts the eyes are one or two stitches of a dark color with a light stitch beside them for a highlight. Those tiny spots carry the expression, so they are kept on purpose. Stitch them last, after the fur or feathers around them, and make sure the top stitch crosses in the same direction as the rest. If an eye looks flat, a single straight stitch of white over it adds a glint.

The outlines use a darker shade of the animal's own color, not black, except where the animal itself is dark. That keeps a white bunny soft and a fox warm instead of looking like a coloring book.

Fabric, size and strands

On 14-count aida with two strands, the Gray tabby cat, at 26 by 35 stitches, finishes at about 1.9 by 2.5 inches. The same chart on 11-count with three strands grows to about 2.4 by 3.2 inches and looks bolder, which helps with the fluffy sheep and duckling. On 18-count it shrinks to about 1.4 by 1.9 inches, small enough for a pendant or a tiny frame. The cross stitch fabric calculator gives the size on any count.

Choose a background color that contrasts with the animal. The white bunny, the sheep and the duckling stand out better on pale blue, green or gray aida than on white.

Recoloring an animal in the editor

Open a pattern in the editor and change any color in the key to another DMC floss. The tabby can become black and white, ginger or gray; the brown bunny can match your own rabbit; the fox can turn into a silver fox. The chart and the stitch counts update together, and the PDF you download carries your colors.

If you want a portrait of your actual pet rather than a stylized one, start from a photo instead: the cross stitch pattern maker turns a picture into a chart that keeps small details like eyes and collars in their own colors.

Finishing ideas for animal patterns

A small animal in a 4 inch hoop with a felt back makes a sweet nursery decoration; group the bunny, duckling and sheep for a set. Bird designs suit framed pieces for a garden lover or a card for a birthday. The cardinal and robin are traditional winter birds, so they double as Christmas cards or ornaments when backed with felt and hung on a ribbon.

Bunnies are a natural choice for Easter, and the hedgehog and squirrel with an acorn are a good fit for autumn. For bead versions of animals, see the perler bead animals page, where each design fits a single pegboard.

Tips for your first animal

Start with the sheep, the fox or the duckling: they have large single-color areas and only four or five colors. Stitch the body first, then the outline, then eyes and small details. Use a size 24 needle on 14-count fabric. When two dark colors sit side by side, check the key carefully, because similar shades can look the same under evening light.

Every pattern here is an original StitchJam design or a public-domain source named on the pattern. Colors are DMC or bead brand numbers; on-screen colors are approximate. Free for personal use and gifts.